Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and enjoy learning. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision are strong: children settle quickly, phonics is well sequenced, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified promptly and supported effectively, and a broad personal development programme helps pupils learn about safety, health, relationships and the wider world. Safeguarding is effective. This was a graded inspection and, as is now usual for graded inspections, no overall effectiveness grade was given; the school was previously judged good. The main areas for improvement are in the quality of education and leadership and management. Staff do not consistently check what pupils know and can do, including in early reading, so some pupils have gaps in knowledge and the work they receive is not always adapted to their needs. Leaders and governors have not monitored curriculum implementation rigorously enough, which means teachers do not always have the knowledge and support to teach all subjects consistently well. The school has taken effective action on attendance and staff workload, and governors are committed and understand the school's strengths and weaknesses. However, the weaknesses in assessment and curriculum monitoring mean some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and build positive relationships with staff
• Pupils are eager to learn, curious and try hard in interesting lessons
• Pupils behave well and are respectful, supported by the school's seven core values
• Reading leadership roles build pupils' confidence, self-esteem and teamwork
• Well-structured, sequenced phonics programme with extra support and books matched to pupils' sounds
• Pupils with SEND are identified promptly and supported effectively, working closely with parents and external professionals
• Warm early years provision helps children settle quickly and develops spoken vocabulary and phonics
• Proactive behaviour management helps pupils regulate emotions and engage in learning
• Attendance has improved through close work with families
• Personal development programme teaches safety, healthy living, positive relationships and cultural understanding
• Committed governors understand the school and consider staff workload
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not consistently check pupils' understanding, leaving gaps in knowledge and work that is not well adapted
• Reading ability is not checked regularly enough, so pupils struggling with sounds may not be identified in time
• Curriculum implementation has not been monitored rigorously enough
• Teachers do not always have sufficient knowledge and support to teach all subjects consistently well
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could
• Governors and leaders have not rigorously checked the quality of curriculum implementation

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.3% of pupils at Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery had 18.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 22.4% of pupils at Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery received £13,202 and spent £12,408 for each of its 156 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £39,000 (£250 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Colchester · Essex local authority: places and applications

What is Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery have?

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery has 156 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery cover?

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery?

Hazelmere Infant School and Nursery is at Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3JP.